J. Helm
2023-05-21 18:59:44 UTC
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
Mercola.com
May 20, 2023
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/05/joseph-mercola/if-you-live-in-a-major-us-city-its-probably-time-to-move/
Although this may seem to be an article focusing on Chicago, please
realize Chicago is only being used as an example of the moral decay and
corruption in virtually every major city in the United States. It serves
as a stark warning to relocate if you are in one of these areas.
As noted by ReallyGraceful in the video above, Chicago, Illinois, ought
to be “a haven of the United States.” The third largest city in the
U.S., it’s filled with world-class architecture and technological
advancements. It’s a center for manufacturing and transportation
industries and has become a tech sector mecca.1
But rather than being the apple of America’s eye, Chicago has become
known as “a center for murder, crime and corruption.” A person is shot
every three hours and 41 minutes in “The Windy City.” This despite
having some of the toughest gun control laws in the country.
Someone is murdered every 15 hours and 54 minutes in Chicago. According
to statistics cited in the video, you’re more likely to be murdered in
Chicago than die as a civilian in the Ukraine-Russia war. The violence
in Chicago is primarily Black on Black, and most victims are Black men
under the age of 25. How did this happen? How did Chicago become a
center for crime rather than advancement?
Chicago’s Failed Policies
Lori Lightfoot, a Black gay Democrat, became mayor of Chicago in 2019.
In the summer of 2020, she went along with the nationwide movement to
defund the police. In August she pledged to cut the city’s police budget
by $80 million, but a month later she changed her mind and in the end
“only” cut the budget by $59 million.2
To her credit, she rejected the community’s call for eliminating police
altogether and replacing them with social workers and medical
professionals, saying she does “not support defunding the police” and
could not “responsibly enact any policies that make communities less safe.”3
Clearly, Lightfoot understood the value of police presence, seeing how
she made sure she had a squad of 71 police officers protecting her
personal home.
That said, Lightfoot also implemented some of the most draconian
lockdown policies in the country and pressured Chicagoans to get the
experimental COVID jab. She also launched a universal basic income pilot
program, which is yet another way to get people hooked on government
assistance.
All the while, crime surged. In December 2021, Lightfoot begged the
federal government for additional law enforcement resources to address
out-of-control crime rates.4
In April 2023, Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor to lose
reelection, ostensibly due to her failure to rein in crime. Remarkably,
the new mayor is anything but hard on crime and is even more permissive
than she was.
Contrary to Lightfoot, who at least pushed back against the irrational
if not suicidal “defund the police” movement, the new mayor, Democrat
Brandon Johnson, a former union organizer and Cook County commissioner,
was a staunch supporter of police defunding, and to this day defends
looting as “an outbreak of incredible frustration and anguish” caused by
“a failed racist system.”
Meanwhile, Walmart, a major donor to the Democrat Party, is now closing
four of its eight Chicago stores due to rampant theft and looting.
Walmart simply can’t afford to stay there. Protesters gathered outside
Walmart, criticizing its decision, but in the end, economics rule — even
in Democrat-controlled areas.
Decriminalization of Crime Leads to Lawlessness
Remarkably, the Democrat trend to decriminalize theft, looting and even
violent crime and murder — because “racism and inequality” — is
resulting in more crime. Who could’ve guessed that lack of law abiding
would lead to lawlessness?
As noted by Cook County prosecutor Jason Poje, who in early May 2023
resigned from his post that he’s held for 20 years, “This State and
County have set themselves on a course to disaster.” He continues:5
“… the worst part is that the agency for whom I work has backed
literally every policy change that had the predictable, and predicted,
outcome of more crime and more people getting hurt.
Bond reform designed to make sure no one stays in jail while their cases
are pending with no safety net to handle more criminals on the streets,
shorter parole periods, lower sentences for repeat offenders, the
malicious and unnecessary prosecution of law enforcement officers,
overuse of diversion programs, intentionally not pursuing prosecutions
for crimes lawfully on the books after being passed by our legislature
and signed by a governor, all of these so-called reforms have had a
direct negative impact, with consequences that will last for a generation …
The current people in charge of this state, including the [State’s
Attorney’s Office] suffer from a fundamental misunderstanding … we live
in a society with adversarial court and criminal justice processes.
Defense attorneys, legal aid clinics, Public Defenders, defendant
advocate groups … they fight like hell to protect the rights of criminal
defendants. And they should. Their work is as noble as ours. But we have
an obligation to fight like hell on behalf of the People. It should go
without saying that this must be done ethically and evenhandedly.
When both sides vigorously defend their positions, a balance is reached
between protecting rights while preserving some sort of order and
safety. Once we start doing too much of the defense’s job, once we pull
our punches, once we decide that it’s worth risking citizens’ lives to
have a little social experiment, that balance is lost.
The unavoidable consequences are what we are witnessing in real time, an
increase in crime of all kinds, businesses and families pulling up
stakes, and the bodies piling up …”
Why are political leaders implementing policies that, obviously, will
result in more rather than less crime? They’re intentionally implemented
because the end result is a desired one.
Chicago is not alone in this folly. Seattle, Los Angeles and many other
Democrat-run cities have implemented similar policies, and the end
result is the same everywhere. Why are political leaders implementing
policies that, obviously, will result in more rather than less crime?
ReallyGraceful has a theory. She believes these insane policies are
intentionally implemented because the end justifies the means since it
is a desired outcome.
She suspects large brick and mortar stores and small shops alike are
intentionally being pushed out of the big cities so that “only those
with the money and infrastructure to support online shopping can
survive.” In other words, it’s a consolidation program. The end goal is
to transition to a traceable central bank digital currency and online
shopping.
Beyond that, we have the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) well-laid plans
for the cities of the future.6,7 They want tiny self-contained vertical
cities where your every move is surveilled and countryside excursions
are forbidden. To get there, they must destroy the old infrastructure
and rebuild according to new specifications.
According to the WEF, cities worldwide will gain 5 billion new
inhabitants by 2050.8 In all, they predict 80% of the global population
will be pressed into cities. Never mind the fact that city living has
long been linked to stress, depression and increased aggression.9
So-called “isobenefit urbanism” plans include building cities where
essentials are all within a 1-mile walking distance.
This makes sense, considering the green goal to have all electric cars
by 2050 is a fantasy that cannot be achieved. There aren’t enough
minerals on this planet to replace existing gas-powered cars with EVs.
The plan is simply for average people to not have a car.
Coordinated Effort to Unleash Lawlessness Across America
The key takeaway here is that the promotion of lawlessness is not
restricted to Chicago. Chicago is just one example of the moral
degradation that is happening in virtually every major U.S. city.
Violent criminals are released from prisons in many major cities and
state prosecutors are either handing out slaps on the wrist or refusing
to prosecute violent offenders altogether. That’s intentional. You don’t
have to have some special Ph.D. to realize that if there’s no punishment
for looting and murder, more people will loot and kill.
According to FBI data, on average, murder and manslaughter in U.S.
cities with a population over 10,000 increased 26% between 2010 and
2020; rape increased by 38%, aggravated assault by 29% and car theft by 48%.
Those are averages. Some cities are far worse than others.10 To dig
deeper, see CBS News’ “Murder Map,”11 the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s “Homicide Mortality by State” map,12 and/or
World Population Review’s “Cities with the Most Murders 2023” map.13
It’s worth noting that 18 of the 20 cities with the highest murder rates
have Democrat mayors.
Save Yourself — Move Out of the Cities
My advice? If you live in a big city — any major metropolitan area —
consider moving to a smaller one, preferably in a less “woke” state
where lawlessness is not openly embraced and accepted as some form of
“equity” arrangement.
Your and your family’s safety, security and long-term welfare may depend
on it, because it’s only going to get worse from here. We can easily
predict this because the degradation we’re currently seeing is clearly
intentional.
10 Cities and States Homeowners Are Fleeing
Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen an unprecedented exodus from Blue
cities across the U.S. The top 10 cities homeowners have been fleeing are:14
San Francisco
Los Angeles
New York City
Washington, D.C.
Boston
Chicago
Detroit
Denver
Seattle
Philadelphia
People are also fleeing certain states more than others. According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, the 10 states with the highest population loss
in 2021 due to relocations were:15
New Jersey
Illinois
New York
Connecticut
California
Michigan
Massachusetts
Louisiana
Ohio
Nebraska
Safest Cities in America
As for where to relocate, taking a peek at crime statistics can be
helpful. As of 2022, the following 10 towns and townships were rated the
safest.16 Additional lists of low-crime areas can be found here17 and
here.18
Lewisboro Town, New York
Wayland, Massachusetts
Rye, New York
Broadview Heights, Ohio
Franklin, Massachusetts
Norfolk, Massachusetts
Sparta Township, New Jersey
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights Township, New Jersey
Holden, Massachusetts
As for the states people are flocking to, the top 10 states that have
seen the greatest influx are:19,20
Florida
Texas
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona
Idaho
Alabama
Oklahoma
To Rebuild, We Must Address the Real Problems
This article hit home for me as I was born and raised in Chicago and
about as native as they come as I went to kindergarten, grade school,
high school, college, medical school and residency all within the city
limit of Chicago. Thankfully, I left over 12 years ago and escaped to
sunny Florida.
I agree with ReallyGraceful who states that what we’re seeing is the
Hegelian Reaction in real-time: Problem, Reaction, Solution. They’re
intentionally creating a problem that they know will result in a certain
reaction, so that they can then introduce a preplanned “solution” — a
solution that centralizes and cements power at the top of government.
And, while there is a political divide, there are rotten apples and
Great Reset promoters on both sides. For example, some Republican
leaders are now calling for the U.S. military to intervene and restore
order, but that’s just part of the same agenda. The result is more
government control and power. Military intervention is the last thing we
should hope for.
What we really need to do, as a society, is to take a cold, hard look at
the problems that government is ignoring or trying to sweep under the
rug, because that’s where the solutions lie. The real problems that need
to be addressed can be summed up as:
The only ones who can fix these problems are We the People. We have to
change how we live and interact in our local communities and stop
looking to the government for solutions. Government is in the business
of creating problems to introduce fake solutions that centralize power.
We need to identify and address the real problems, and only we can do that.
Sources and References
1 Dom and Tom Expansion of Chicago’s Tech Sector
2, 3 Block Club Chicago October 21, 2023
4 Fox 17 December 22, 2021
5 ZeroHedge May 11, 2023
6 Weforum Cities and Urbanization
7 Weforum Global Future Council
8 Weforum March 14, 2023
9 Open Libraries Problems of Urban Life, Crowding
10 Safehome.org Crime Trends
11 CBS News Murder Map February 23, 2022
12 CDC.gov Homicide Mortality by State
13 World Population Review Cities With the Most Murders 2023 map
14 Yahoo! News January 22, 2023
15 World Population Review States People Are Leaving
16 Safewise Safest Cities in the US March 30, 2022
17 Bob Vila 19 Places with Almost Zero Crime 2021
18 Kiplinger Safest Cities in 2023
19 TheHill.com Feb. 1, 2023
20 National Association of Realtors January 30, 2023
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola
Copyright © Dr. Joseph Mercola
--
You voted for student loan forgiveness. You got demographic replacement
and World War 3.
"Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) defines several distinct offenses related to
aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic
transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring
unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to
enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and
abetting any of the preceding acts. Subsection 1324(a)(2) prohibits
bringing or attempting to bring unauthorized aliens to the United States
in any manner whatsoever, even at a designated port of entry. Subsection
1324(a)(3)."
"“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country
called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country.
Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So,
basically, that’s wrong." -- VP Kamala Harris
https://www.globalgulag.us
Mercola.com
May 20, 2023
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/05/joseph-mercola/if-you-live-in-a-major-us-city-its-probably-time-to-move/
Although this may seem to be an article focusing on Chicago, please
realize Chicago is only being used as an example of the moral decay and
corruption in virtually every major city in the United States. It serves
as a stark warning to relocate if you are in one of these areas.
As noted by ReallyGraceful in the video above, Chicago, Illinois, ought
to be “a haven of the United States.” The third largest city in the
U.S., it’s filled with world-class architecture and technological
advancements. It’s a center for manufacturing and transportation
industries and has become a tech sector mecca.1
But rather than being the apple of America’s eye, Chicago has become
known as “a center for murder, crime and corruption.” A person is shot
every three hours and 41 minutes in “The Windy City.” This despite
having some of the toughest gun control laws in the country.
Someone is murdered every 15 hours and 54 minutes in Chicago. According
to statistics cited in the video, you’re more likely to be murdered in
Chicago than die as a civilian in the Ukraine-Russia war. The violence
in Chicago is primarily Black on Black, and most victims are Black men
under the age of 25. How did this happen? How did Chicago become a
center for crime rather than advancement?
Chicago’s Failed Policies
Lori Lightfoot, a Black gay Democrat, became mayor of Chicago in 2019.
In the summer of 2020, she went along with the nationwide movement to
defund the police. In August she pledged to cut the city’s police budget
by $80 million, but a month later she changed her mind and in the end
“only” cut the budget by $59 million.2
To her credit, she rejected the community’s call for eliminating police
altogether and replacing them with social workers and medical
professionals, saying she does “not support defunding the police” and
could not “responsibly enact any policies that make communities less safe.”3
Clearly, Lightfoot understood the value of police presence, seeing how
she made sure she had a squad of 71 police officers protecting her
personal home.
That said, Lightfoot also implemented some of the most draconian
lockdown policies in the country and pressured Chicagoans to get the
experimental COVID jab. She also launched a universal basic income pilot
program, which is yet another way to get people hooked on government
assistance.
All the while, crime surged. In December 2021, Lightfoot begged the
federal government for additional law enforcement resources to address
out-of-control crime rates.4
In April 2023, Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor to lose
reelection, ostensibly due to her failure to rein in crime. Remarkably,
the new mayor is anything but hard on crime and is even more permissive
than she was.
Contrary to Lightfoot, who at least pushed back against the irrational
if not suicidal “defund the police” movement, the new mayor, Democrat
Brandon Johnson, a former union organizer and Cook County commissioner,
was a staunch supporter of police defunding, and to this day defends
looting as “an outbreak of incredible frustration and anguish” caused by
“a failed racist system.”
Meanwhile, Walmart, a major donor to the Democrat Party, is now closing
four of its eight Chicago stores due to rampant theft and looting.
Walmart simply can’t afford to stay there. Protesters gathered outside
Walmart, criticizing its decision, but in the end, economics rule — even
in Democrat-controlled areas.
Decriminalization of Crime Leads to Lawlessness
Remarkably, the Democrat trend to decriminalize theft, looting and even
violent crime and murder — because “racism and inequality” — is
resulting in more crime. Who could’ve guessed that lack of law abiding
would lead to lawlessness?
As noted by Cook County prosecutor Jason Poje, who in early May 2023
resigned from his post that he’s held for 20 years, “This State and
County have set themselves on a course to disaster.” He continues:5
“… the worst part is that the agency for whom I work has backed
literally every policy change that had the predictable, and predicted,
outcome of more crime and more people getting hurt.
Bond reform designed to make sure no one stays in jail while their cases
are pending with no safety net to handle more criminals on the streets,
shorter parole periods, lower sentences for repeat offenders, the
malicious and unnecessary prosecution of law enforcement officers,
overuse of diversion programs, intentionally not pursuing prosecutions
for crimes lawfully on the books after being passed by our legislature
and signed by a governor, all of these so-called reforms have had a
direct negative impact, with consequences that will last for a generation …
The current people in charge of this state, including the [State’s
Attorney’s Office] suffer from a fundamental misunderstanding … we live
in a society with adversarial court and criminal justice processes.
Defense attorneys, legal aid clinics, Public Defenders, defendant
advocate groups … they fight like hell to protect the rights of criminal
defendants. And they should. Their work is as noble as ours. But we have
an obligation to fight like hell on behalf of the People. It should go
without saying that this must be done ethically and evenhandedly.
When both sides vigorously defend their positions, a balance is reached
between protecting rights while preserving some sort of order and
safety. Once we start doing too much of the defense’s job, once we pull
our punches, once we decide that it’s worth risking citizens’ lives to
have a little social experiment, that balance is lost.
The unavoidable consequences are what we are witnessing in real time, an
increase in crime of all kinds, businesses and families pulling up
stakes, and the bodies piling up …”
Why are political leaders implementing policies that, obviously, will
result in more rather than less crime? They’re intentionally implemented
because the end result is a desired one.
Chicago is not alone in this folly. Seattle, Los Angeles and many other
Democrat-run cities have implemented similar policies, and the end
result is the same everywhere. Why are political leaders implementing
policies that, obviously, will result in more rather than less crime?
ReallyGraceful has a theory. She believes these insane policies are
intentionally implemented because the end justifies the means since it
is a desired outcome.
She suspects large brick and mortar stores and small shops alike are
intentionally being pushed out of the big cities so that “only those
with the money and infrastructure to support online shopping can
survive.” In other words, it’s a consolidation program. The end goal is
to transition to a traceable central bank digital currency and online
shopping.
Beyond that, we have the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) well-laid plans
for the cities of the future.6,7 They want tiny self-contained vertical
cities where your every move is surveilled and countryside excursions
are forbidden. To get there, they must destroy the old infrastructure
and rebuild according to new specifications.
According to the WEF, cities worldwide will gain 5 billion new
inhabitants by 2050.8 In all, they predict 80% of the global population
will be pressed into cities. Never mind the fact that city living has
long been linked to stress, depression and increased aggression.9
So-called “isobenefit urbanism” plans include building cities where
essentials are all within a 1-mile walking distance.
This makes sense, considering the green goal to have all electric cars
by 2050 is a fantasy that cannot be achieved. There aren’t enough
minerals on this planet to replace existing gas-powered cars with EVs.
The plan is simply for average people to not have a car.
Coordinated Effort to Unleash Lawlessness Across America
The key takeaway here is that the promotion of lawlessness is not
restricted to Chicago. Chicago is just one example of the moral
degradation that is happening in virtually every major U.S. city.
Violent criminals are released from prisons in many major cities and
state prosecutors are either handing out slaps on the wrist or refusing
to prosecute violent offenders altogether. That’s intentional. You don’t
have to have some special Ph.D. to realize that if there’s no punishment
for looting and murder, more people will loot and kill.
According to FBI data, on average, murder and manslaughter in U.S.
cities with a population over 10,000 increased 26% between 2010 and
2020; rape increased by 38%, aggravated assault by 29% and car theft by 48%.
Those are averages. Some cities are far worse than others.10 To dig
deeper, see CBS News’ “Murder Map,”11 the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s “Homicide Mortality by State” map,12 and/or
World Population Review’s “Cities with the Most Murders 2023” map.13
It’s worth noting that 18 of the 20 cities with the highest murder rates
have Democrat mayors.
Save Yourself — Move Out of the Cities
My advice? If you live in a big city — any major metropolitan area —
consider moving to a smaller one, preferably in a less “woke” state
where lawlessness is not openly embraced and accepted as some form of
“equity” arrangement.
Your and your family’s safety, security and long-term welfare may depend
on it, because it’s only going to get worse from here. We can easily
predict this because the degradation we’re currently seeing is clearly
intentional.
10 Cities and States Homeowners Are Fleeing
Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen an unprecedented exodus from Blue
cities across the U.S. The top 10 cities homeowners have been fleeing are:14
San Francisco
Los Angeles
New York City
Washington, D.C.
Boston
Chicago
Detroit
Denver
Seattle
Philadelphia
People are also fleeing certain states more than others. According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, the 10 states with the highest population loss
in 2021 due to relocations were:15
New Jersey
Illinois
New York
Connecticut
California
Michigan
Massachusetts
Louisiana
Ohio
Nebraska
Safest Cities in America
As for where to relocate, taking a peek at crime statistics can be
helpful. As of 2022, the following 10 towns and townships were rated the
safest.16 Additional lists of low-crime areas can be found here17 and
here.18
Lewisboro Town, New York
Wayland, Massachusetts
Rye, New York
Broadview Heights, Ohio
Franklin, Massachusetts
Norfolk, Massachusetts
Sparta Township, New Jersey
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights Township, New Jersey
Holden, Massachusetts
As for the states people are flocking to, the top 10 states that have
seen the greatest influx are:19,20
Florida
Texas
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona
Idaho
Alabama
Oklahoma
To Rebuild, We Must Address the Real Problems
This article hit home for me as I was born and raised in Chicago and
about as native as they come as I went to kindergarten, grade school,
high school, college, medical school and residency all within the city
limit of Chicago. Thankfully, I left over 12 years ago and escaped to
sunny Florida.
I agree with ReallyGraceful who states that what we’re seeing is the
Hegelian Reaction in real-time: Problem, Reaction, Solution. They’re
intentionally creating a problem that they know will result in a certain
reaction, so that they can then introduce a preplanned “solution” — a
solution that centralizes and cements power at the top of government.
And, while there is a political divide, there are rotten apples and
Great Reset promoters on both sides. For example, some Republican
leaders are now calling for the U.S. military to intervene and restore
order, but that’s just part of the same agenda. The result is more
government control and power. Military intervention is the last thing we
should hope for.
What we really need to do, as a society, is to take a cold, hard look at
the problems that government is ignoring or trying to sweep under the
rug, because that’s where the solutions lie. The real problems that need
to be addressed can be summed up as:
The only ones who can fix these problems are We the People. We have to
change how we live and interact in our local communities and stop
looking to the government for solutions. Government is in the business
of creating problems to introduce fake solutions that centralize power.
We need to identify and address the real problems, and only we can do that.
Sources and References
1 Dom and Tom Expansion of Chicago’s Tech Sector
2, 3 Block Club Chicago October 21, 2023
4 Fox 17 December 22, 2021
5 ZeroHedge May 11, 2023
6 Weforum Cities and Urbanization
7 Weforum Global Future Council
8 Weforum March 14, 2023
9 Open Libraries Problems of Urban Life, Crowding
10 Safehome.org Crime Trends
11 CBS News Murder Map February 23, 2022
12 CDC.gov Homicide Mortality by State
13 World Population Review Cities With the Most Murders 2023 map
14 Yahoo! News January 22, 2023
15 World Population Review States People Are Leaving
16 Safewise Safest Cities in the US March 30, 2022
17 Bob Vila 19 Places with Almost Zero Crime 2021
18 Kiplinger Safest Cities in 2023
19 TheHill.com Feb. 1, 2023
20 National Association of Realtors January 30, 2023
The Best of Dr. Joseph Mercola
Copyright © Dr. Joseph Mercola
--
You voted for student loan forgiveness. You got demographic replacement
and World War 3.
"Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) defines several distinct offenses related to
aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic
transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring
unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to
enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and
abetting any of the preceding acts. Subsection 1324(a)(2) prohibits
bringing or attempting to bring unauthorized aliens to the United States
in any manner whatsoever, even at a designated port of entry. Subsection
1324(a)(3)."
"“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country
called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country.
Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So,
basically, that’s wrong." -- VP Kamala Harris
https://www.globalgulag.us